Reinforcing means for bottle containing crates



Sept. 5, 1950 w. J. CELLA REINFORCING MEANS FOR BOTTLE CONTAINING CRATES Filed May 20, 1947 INVENTOR. I{.LIAM ICelL Patented Sept. 5, 1950 UNITED STATES? OFF ICE" REINFORGIN G MEANS FORiBOTTIiEI CONTAINING CRAT'ES William J. Celia, ForestHillsi N. Y.

Application MayZO, 1947; Serial No. 749,287"

This invention relates to reinforcing'm-eans for:

bottle-containing crates and has for; one of; its

objects the provision. of means by; which, the

consist of'a wooden frame provided on the inside.

with a plurality of wire rods which extend across the crate and are secured at their ends in the frame: divide the crate into anumber-of. compartments, each of which receives: a, bottle, the crossed rods acting as separators or partitioning elements; It has been found that unless the wires or rods are strengthened or reinforced, and particularly at the point where one wire extends at right angles across another, the wires or rods soon become bent or distorted, thus permitting rattling of one bottle against another and very often causing bottle breakage.

The present invention therefore contemplates the provision of a reinforcing element located at the junction of two Wire or rod separators, which element securely holds the crossed rods, thus adding stiffness and rigidity to the same, at the same time providing positioning means by which bottles placed in the compartments defined by the wires or rods, are held from undue shifting movement, rattling and possible breakage.

These and other objects are attained by the invention, a more particular description of which will be hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed, Fig. 1 is a top plan view of portions of two wire rod separators engaged by the improved reinforcing member, with portions of the crate to which the separators are attached, being shown in section; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 is a view of the reinforcing member, looking at the underside of the same; Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the reinforcing member, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Crates of the character to which the present invention is applied are usually used for containing so-called square milk bottles, although These rods cross oneanother andthus- 2, Claims... (01. 217-19) the-same may, of course, be used for other pur poses. Such: crates generally consist of a wooden frame of rectangular shape, and the interior of the frame isdivided into a plurality of bottlereceiving compartments by means of wire rod separators which criss-cross one another and haveheaded ends anchored in the woodenframe of the crate- The present invention contemplates means by which the wires orrods are connected together at their points of crossing; are strongly reinforced at those points, and means are provided by which the bottles located between the separators are held from undue rattling and pos sible breakage.

In the-drawing; one of the sidesof 'tlieframe of the crate is indicated at I, and an end mem ber'of the frame is shown at 2.. One of the wire or. rod-.separators which extends across the frame is. shown at; and another wire or red separator 4 is shown crossing the rod 3 at right angles. The rods are provided with heads 5 anchored in the walls of the crate and by means of which the rods are held against longitudinal shifting movement. Crates of the character described are of substantial depth and are accordingly provided with several tiers of wire rod separators, a lower tier of the separators being indicated at 6 and l in Fig. 2. To link together the several tiers of these separators, connectors in the form of tie members or links 8 are employed. Each of these tie members includes a lower loop 9 which extends around the junction or crossing of the two lower rods 6 and 1, and an upper loop Ill which similarly extends around the crossing o junction of the two upper rods 3 and 4.

The reinforcing member for the crossing or junction of the two upper rods 3 and 4, is shown at H, the same consisting of a plate or disk of sheet metal distorted by suitable dies into the form shown. Said reinforcing member includes a central, cylindrical dome portion or hub [2, which, when the reinforcing member is fitted in position over the junction of two rods, encloses and conceals the upper loop ID of the link 8, and also covers and conceals the crossing point of the two rods 3 and 4. Extending radially from the dome portion I2 is a pair of diametrically opposite channels 14 and [5 which are shaped to fit over the uppermost rod 3. These channels thus cooperate to form a passage in which said rod 3 lies, the rod being maintained therein by means of the straps it which are stamped out of the material of the channels [4 and I5 and distorted downwardly to thereby underlie the rod 3.

3 The reinforcing member also includes a skirt portion I3 which is shaped or distorted to provide a pair of diametrically opposite channels I! and I8, these two channels being located at right angles to those shown at I4 and I5 and being also located below or at a lower level than the channels I4 and I5. The two channels I! and I8 cooperate to form a passage for the lower rod 4, as clearly seen in Figs. 1 and 2. The skirt portion I3, in the areas located between the several channels l4, I5, I! is provided with curved edge portions indicated at l9, such portions conforming substantially in curvature to surface portions of the bottles placed in the crate between the wire separators. The result of this arrangement is that the curved edges I9, contacting with the bottles, hold the same from undue rattling as well as protect the same from breakage during handling of the bottle-filled crates.

The reinforcing members I I are easily fitted in position by sliding the same in place on the rods and they strongly reinforce the rods at the crossings, adding rigidity and strength to the structure as well as immeasurably protecting the bottles.

' Having described one embodiment of the invention; it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted'thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.

'What I claim is:

1. In a reinforcement of the character described, a pair of crossed rods, a vertical rod connector having a single loop fitted about the junction of the two crossed rods and enclosing the two rods, a reinforcing plate having a central dome enclosing the junction of the crossed rods and enclosing and concealing the loop fitted about the same, an upper pair of channels extending radially from the dome and through which the uppermost of the crossed rods passes, a lower pair of channels extending from the dome and through which the lowermost of the crossed rods extends, the several channels being connected by downwardly-extending curved-edge Webs conforming in curvature to the shape of bottles placed between the rods, and the upper pair of channels having straps extending below the rod passing through such channels.

2. In a reinforcement of the character described, a pair of rods crossing one another, a vertical connector in the form of a rod having a single loop at its upper end, said loop extending around the junction of the two rods and enclosing both of said rods within its loop, a plate fitted over and covering the junction of the two rods and fitting over the loop, said plate having a centrally-located raised and domed part fitting over and covering and enclosing the loop, said plate having distorted parts shaped to form an upper channel and a lower channel through which the 'crossed rods respectively extend, said plate also having arcuately curved web portions located between the channels, said Web portions conforming substantially to the curvature of bottles placed between the rods.

WILLIAM J. CELLA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in th file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,573,111 Gerding et a1 Feb. 16, 1926 1,825,032 Woolsey et al Sept. 29, 1931 2,258,707 Krueger et al Oct. 14, 1941 

